Western Australian Premier's Book Awards - 1999 Judges' Report

Comments by the Judging Panel

In 1999 the judging panel considered 116 books in six categories-this
year scripts were included in the Special Award category. As with 1998
there was an impressive range and quality of books entered in the
'Historical and Critical Studies' and 'Special Awards' categories, and
for this reason the panel considered relatively long short lists-eight
and seven respectively-were justified for these two categories. Five
books were short listed in the Fiction category, three in Poetry, four
in Children's Books and three in Young Adults. In all categories the
judges followed the lead of their predecessors in looking for books of
outstanding merit, with particular regard to the quality of writing, the
contribution made to the relevant genre or discipline and accessibility
to the general reader. In numerous different ways the listed books are
testimony to the richness of the history and culture of Western
Australia and of Western Australians.

Fiction Judge's Report

Benang - Kim Scott
Benang is an outstanding achievement of narrative. It uses the
historical record, ideas about revisions and corrections, and the close
emotional range of the recording of family to make a political and
affecting work of loss that is undercut with both irony and distance.
Throughout its five hundred pages it sustains its original idea of
subverting the state-sanctioned policies of race and genetic make-up, of
making the 'first white baby'. This is a major work of fiction that is
always engaged in a struggle against its bleak material, and it succeeds
in that struggle. There is a huge investment evident here by the writer
in researching, compiling and then making anew this material into an
imaginative form.

Blue - Ken Spillman
Blue is a fascinating woven narrative of character, a novel that focuses
on a group of people as they proceed through adolescence and into
adulthood. It is also involved with ideas of place and neighbourhood, of
physical sites for growing up and beginning to define one's identity.

Our Man K - Nicholas Hasluck
Nicholas Hasluck's novel Our Man K uses historical detail involving
mysterious outcomes and identity, and reworks these materials into a
skilful story of political intrigue. The novel maintains a strong mood
of suspense throughout, and is the work of a mature writer. It will be
of particular interest to those students of Australian history intrigued
by the bizarre events in 1934 when left-wing polemicist Egon Kisch
jumped ship literally (breaking his leg in the process) in an attempt to
avoid immigration authorities.

Poe's Cat - Brenda Walker
Poe's Cat is an elegantly written novel that reworks historical detail
from the storehouse of literature and generates it into new narratives
placed parallel with contemporary stories of pleasure and risk and
property.

Prowler - Marion Campbell
Prowler is a novel that confidently toys with experiments of form and
language and sustains these experiments throughout. At its heart it is a
novel of loss and grief, of return and of maternity. But it is also
concerned with dispossession and racism, of tangled histories. The
writer always holds control of her materials, often playfully, and
offers up this parallel, or counter-narrative of two women and their
experiences of 'growing up'.

Poetry Judge's Report

Editing the Moon - Caroline Caddy
Caroline Caddy's seventh volume continues to supply her dedicated
readers with fine poetic evidence of a clear-eyed and intelligent
observer of the world and its contents. Her poems are always exquisite
artefacts of an engagement with language and ways of reading landscape
and social relations.

Kangaroo Virus - John Kinsella and Ron Sims
This book and compact disc is a skilful package that involves expression
with words, images and sound. It is an ambitious collaboration that
tackles questions of connection between humans and the 'natural' world
of landscape, ecology, inquiry and futures.

The Willing Eye - Tracy Ryan
The Willing Eye is a powerful volume made up of six sections that set
up, at times, remarkable insights into human life and its complexity.
Using the physical act of giving birth and moving through the life of
the growing child, as these poems do, and focusing on place-on the
detail of both landscape and interior spaces-we are literally taken on a
journey. These poems are direct, mature, sometimes modest-looking,
unadorned constructions that contain a great sophistication and clarity
through their use of language.

Historical & Critical Studies Judge's Report

Broken Lives - Estelle Blackburn
In searching for answers concerning a possible miscarriage of justice
Estelle Blackburn has provided a detailed reconstruction of a series of
events which illuminate the social history of Perth in the 1960s.
Focusing on the extraordinary and chilling crimes of serial killer Eric
Edgar Cooke she provides a fascinating insight into what made Cooke
tick, while the narrative makes for engaging, indeed gripping reading at
all times. This may have been a book written primarily in the attempt
to argue the case for a particular individual but the end product is
much more than that. The impressive list of sources both written and
oral is testimony to the extent of her achievement.

Claremont: a History - Geoffrey Bolton and Jenny Gregory
Claremont: a History, published shortly after the centenary of the Town
of Claremont, represents the bringing together of a number of
viewpoints. To Geoffrey Bolton's research extending over more than
twenty years has been added a significant portion of co-author's Jenny
Gregory's PhD thesis on middle class suburbia. Short eyewitness accounts
are also included from Sir Paul Hasluck and Professor George Seddon for
the 1930s and 1960s. The outcome is a readable and fascinating account
of the growth and development of a middle class suburb originally
founded as a settlement for pensioned-off British soldiers who guarded
convicts.

Fairbridge: Empire and Child Migration - Geoffrey Sherington and Chris Jeffery
This well-written and timely book represents the outcome of fifteen
years of research and provides a comprehensive and nicely balanced
account of Fairbridge child migration. Kingsley Fairbridge's aims and
objectives are set in the context of early twentieth century British
imperialism. The authors then go on to show how the ideals behind the
farm school experiment in Western Australia were extended to other parts
of the Empire between the wars, but virtually ended in the 1960s with
the fall of the Empire and profound changes in attitudes to child
migration.

Fiction and the Law - Kieran Dolin
Kieran Dolin's erudite critical volume offers the specialist reader as
well as an interested general audience a pathway through representations
of legal process in fiction, and a close look at one area of literary
history. It is a well-argued scholarly book and potential teaching text.

Kangkushot The Life of Nyamal Lawman Peter Coppin - Jolly Read and Peter Coppin
In a powerful and effective narrative based on oral history, Jolly Read
tells the story of Peter Coppin (Kangkushot), 'the most senior elder,
the top lawman' for the Nyamal people in the Pilbara, interspersing
third person narrative with Peter Coppin's own voice. Living 2000
kilometres apart, the interviewer and interviewee met over a two year
period as Kangkushot related his life story centred on a movement for
social justice and social awareness encompassing the first strike of
Aboriginal workers in Australia's history in 1946.

Miles of Post and Wire - Florence Corrigan as told to Loreen Brehaut
Miles of Post and Wire is a personal account of a woman described as
'fencer, horsewoman, dogger, roo skinner, goat hunter, cook,
hard-working mother and backbone of two generations in the high hill
country of the Pilbara'. In the early 1960s at thirty years of age,
after fighting as a single mother to prevent her first child from being
adopted out, she discovered that there was no registration of her birth
and confirmed her growing realisation that she was of Aboriginal
descent. Florence's story is told with a simple directness, from her
isolated childhood through her extensive travels around Australia, to
raising her family and meeting her future husband, and after his death
forming a Seniors' Club in Roebourne.

Myth of Privilege - Steve Mickler
Steve Mickler's book is an important one in the contested spaces of
contemporary society: in exploring politics and social relations through
the filters of race and power. It argues a powerful analysis of media
representations by incorporating social theory and communications and
cultural theories into its compelling thesis.

Sister Kate: A Life Dedicated to Children in Need of Care - Vera Whittington
In this thoroughly researched and well-documented book Vera Whittington
has succeeded in her objective to write an 'intimate story, with an
authentic background' documenting the life of a remarkable woman. The
name of Sister Kate has become a byword for the use of the cottage home
system of child care in Western Australia, and the book deals carefully
and lovingly with the founding and acceptance of the Parkerville
Children's Home, the upheavals which led to Sister Kate's enforced
departure in 1933, and the subsequent establishment of the Cottage Home
at Queen's Park.

Children's Books Judge's Report

About this Little Devil and this Little Fella - Albert Barunga, Stephen Muecke and Julie Dowling
When the 'little fella' keeps eating honey and refuses to go home with
his mother, he almost becomes dinner for a devil instead. Such things
can happen in authentic Aboriginal stories, which are often told as
cautionary tales for young children. This traditional story from the
Worora people of the Kimberley is supported by the bold, effective
illustrations of a painter from the Gascoyne region. The text
exemplifies the oral tradition of storytelling, and demands to be read
aloud for best effect as a shared bedtime story.

Angel in a Gum Tree - Diana Chase, Valerie Krantz and Heather Hummel
When told that Christmas in Australia is unlike Christmas in other
countries, the littlest angel takes time out from delivering Christmas
greetings around the world to discover for himself if this is true. We
follow his journey around Australia from the beach to the city and the
outback, where he watches how Australian families celebrate Christmas
and decides whether the spirit of an Australian Christmas really is
different. Very young children will find the simple story engaging and
will pore over the colourful, interesting and detailed pictures, finding
new delights with each re-reading.

Showtime!: Over 75 ways to put on a show - Reg Bolton
Packed with inspiring ideas and tips for creating interesting, exciting
performances, this large-size, full-colour Dorling Kindersley book will
delight children, especially those throughout Western Australia who have
participated in educational programs with Reg Bolton's 'Suitcase
Circus'. Adults helping children to create a polished public performance
will also welcome the range of suggestions for acts, costumes and
staging ideas. Well set out, the ideas are easy to follow and generally
simple to create using readily available materials. Children portrayed
in the book exemplify the United Kingdom racial mix, but this does not
detract from its value for an Australian audience.

Straggler's Reef - Elaine Forrestal
When Karri, her brother Jarrad and her Dad are stranded on Straggler's
Reef by a freak willy-willy, the last thing Karri expects is to meet
Caroline, a relative from the past, and recover the legendary family
treasure. The story is an engaging mix of adventure and fantasy set in a
place that closely resembles Perth and Rottnest Island. The text is an
effective blend of conversation and descriptive passages, and the short
chapters move the story quickly to the exciting conclusion.

Dymocks Young Adults Judge's Report

Going Off - Colin Bowles
Fourteen-year-old Greg's green hair, black clothing and the almost
permanently attached walkman are really signs of his anxiety and
insecurity rather than teenage rebellion. For Greg, the nightmare trip
to Sydney organised by his grandmother so that all the family can be
together is almost the final straw. Told in the first person by Greg,
the story of his teenage insecurities rings true. The characters are
realistically drawn and readers, especially those with an extended
family, will find humour as well as sadness in his search for identity.

Scooterboy - Glyn Parry
This open-ended love story is told from the point of view of Sam Lynch, a
school dropout who is pumping petrol for her mother's boyfriend in the
small community of Happy Valley. Sam is unsure that she even has a
future until she meets Zach, the gentle new boy who rides a Vespa and
idolises 'The Who', a rock group from the 1960s. In the spare language
of the dialogue and Sam's musings, Parry captures the insecurities of
teenagers, their worldliness and naivety, the tumult of being in love
and the difficulties faced in a world where teenagers often have little
support from adults or their peers.

Surf's Up - Diana Chase
When Matt starts at his new school in Margaret River, the class
loudmouth Brad with his zoo of maimed animals, soon penetrates Matt's
self pity about his short leg and clumsy boot. Although the positive
outcome for the two boys, one learning to surf and the other to read,
may be a little too obvious, young teenagers will empathise with the
well-realised characters. They will also enjoy the confident use of the
language of surfing, the familiar Western Australian environment and the
exciting, fast moving adventure.

Special Award Judge's Report

Abrolhos Islands Conversations - Victor France, Larry Mitchell and Alison Wright
An authentic and distinctive culture with its own traditions, mores and
expectations has emerged from the human activity that has taken place in
the unique environment of the Abrolhos Islands. It is brilliantly
captured in the frank, unembellished interviews in this collaborative
work, which is enhanced by excellent drawings and portraits.

Carrying the Banner: Women, Leadership and Activism in Australia - edited by Joan Eveline and Lorraine Hayden
Carrying The Banner is an important book of insights and accounts of the
experience of twenty-two Australian women in positions of leadership.
In their own words they share these experiences with generosity and
intelligence and offer a guidebook of inspired action for 'improving'
society.

Cray Tales - Annie de Monchaux
Annie de Monchaux trawled the WA coast to bring together a colourful,
idiosyncratic collection of characters, anecdotes, information and
impressions that may otherwise have been lost. Her labour of love is
skilfully written and edited and creatively produced, with plenty of
humour, insights and other delightful surprises.

Landbridge: Contemporary Australian Poetry - John Kinsella
Landbridge is an impressive anthology of poetry from forty-four of the
leading Australian poets of this time, nine of whom have a strong
connection to Western Australia. It is a strong selection that includes
surprises and offers through its contextualising some new ways of
reading these poets. As well as being a significant survey book for its
time, Landbridge is an excellent teaching text for an international
audience.

Material Women '99: Quilts that tell Stories - edited by Katie Hill and Margaret Ross
Material Women '99 was one of the projects to receive a grant from the
WA Government's Centenary of Women's Suffrage Committee. It is the
product of a number of quilters and story writers and based on the
experience of more than 50 WA women who contributed to the growth and
development of the State in a variety of ways. The book strikingly
demonstrates the value of this unusual medium and provides a unique
record of important aspects of WA's history.

The Song of the Earth (script) - John Aitken
John Aitken has crafted a play from biographical material about the life
and work of Gustav Mahler to be performed with music. This musical play
has been made from a judicious selection and sensitivity to Mahler's
compositions and his character.

William Dampier in New Holland: Australia's first natural historian
- Alexander S. George
William Dampier, the swashbuckling 17th Century pirate and first English
explorer to set foot on Australian soil, was equally at home attacking
towns and ships, or collecting and describing plant specimens. Alex
George's well-researched and attractively presented book on Dampier's
two voyages of discovery to Australia appeals as both human and natural
history.